Thanks, I was aware of the difference with potato and that is why I am questioning the other two. I always thought of them as a starch until I saw them labeled flours.

What about rice? Is there a starch as well as a flour?

So far as I know, apart from brown and white rice flour/starch (terms are interchangeable), the only other rice flour is what is variously referred to as sweet rice flour or 'glutinous' rice flour, which is not interchangeable for the other two (has different properties). You will usually find this flour in asian markets. The rice flours in asian markets tend to be of a finer grind. Some find some problems with contamination with some of them.

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Tapioca flour is the starch extracted from the root of the cassava plant [Manihot esculenta] that is dissolved in hot water, dried and powdered. Tapioca flour or starch is the same thing.

Manioc flour is the finely ground fibres of the cassava plant [Manihot esculenta] that are left after the extraction of tapioca starch.

Arrowroot [arrowroot powder] is the starch extracted from the roots of the plant Maranta arundinacea. There is no flour made from the ground tubers. Arrowroot is relatively expensive. If you find it for a "good" price, check that it has not been mixed with potato starch, or that it is not actually tapioca starch.

Rice flour is the ground rice kernels or grain. As the starch content is ~70 to 85% starch, it is more economical to just grind the grain for flour rather than extract the starch due to the phenomenal amount need for food. This is not to say that rice starch is not commercially extracted. Rice starch is modified and treated to produce a wide variety of food products. Simple Rice starch is used in industries related to fabrics [eg.sizing] and laundry work [eg ironing spray starch}.

.. Note: Ordinary rice contains both amylose and amylopectin which makes up starch. Glutinous rice contains very little amylose, and large amounts of amylopectin which makes it "sticky".

Green bean or mung [moong] bean flour is the ground seed of the Vigna radiata plant. Mung [moong] bean starch is extracted from seeds of the mung bean.

Common green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are not the same thing..

Sweet potato starch is extracted from the roots of the Ipomoea batatas plant. There is no flour made from the tuber fibres..

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Tapioca flour is the starch extracted from the root of the cassava plant [Manihot esculenta] that is dissolved in hot water, dried and powdered. Tapioca flour or starch is the same thing.

Manioc flour is the finely ground fibres of the cassava plant [Manihot esculenta] that are left after the extraction of tapioca starch.

Arrowroot [arrowroot powder] is the starch extracted from the roots of the plant Maranta arundinacea. There is no flour made from the ground tubers. Arrowroot is relatively expensive. If you find it for a "good" price, check that it has not been mixed with potato starch, or that it is not actually tapioca starch.

Rice flour is the ground rice kernels or grain. As the starch content is ~70 to 85% starch, it is more economical to just grind the grain for flour rather than extract the starch due to the phenomenal amount need for food. This is not to say that rice starch is not commercially extracted. Rice starch is modified and treated to produce a wide variety of food products. Simple Rice starch is used in industries related to fabrics [eg.sizing] and laundry work [eg ironing spray starch}.

.. Note: Ordinary rice contains both amylose and amylopectin which makes up starch. Glutinous rice contains very little amylose, and large amounts of amylopectin which makes it "sticky".

Green bean or mung [moong] bean flour is the ground seed of the Vigna radiata plant. Mung [moong] bean starch is extracted from seeds of the mung bean.

Common green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are not the same thing..

Sweet potato starch is extracted from the roots of the Ipomoea batatas plant. There is no flour made from the tuber fibres..

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Tapioca flour is the starch extracted from the root of the cassava plant [Manihot esculenta] that is dissolved in hot water, dried and powdered. Tapioca flour or starch is the same thing.

Tapioca flour and starch are actually the same as potato flour and starch: they are two different things.

However, a couple decades ago, in western countries manufacturers started making tapioca starch only and using the term starch and flour interchangeably. So if you find tapioca starch or flour in western markets, it's usually the same thing: the starch. Most cooking information sites only mention the starch.

In some African markets, though, you can still find tapioca FLOUR which is actually the flour, not the starch. Another common label for this will be cassava flour. (an example of cassava flour, King Lion brand: http://www.akfponline.com/PremiumCassavaHome.aspx )

I haven't tried it myself, but it's always looked interesting. :-)

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I have been using sweet potato flour (at least that is what it says on the box) from Peru, in small quantities mixed with other gluten free flours, a little adds a bit of a sweet taste to the high protein type mixes, without having to use sugar or agave.

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